


so lucky

by houseofmemoriess



Category: GOT7
Genre: Canon Compliant, Jackson is a Good Friend, M/M, Pining, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-09 02:32:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12878316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houseofmemoriess/pseuds/houseofmemoriess
Summary: On everyone's 21st birthday, they wake up with a tattoo. This specific tattoo can only be found on two people in the entire world. The two people are known as soulmates.Mark wants nothing more than for one person in particular to be his soulmate.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to do a soulmate fic for a while but couldn't figure out the right plot and then this one came out of no where.
> 
> It's just going to be a short two-shot. Everything is already written, enjoy :)

Being an idol, tattoos were a topic of interest. On everyone’s 21st birthday, they get a tattoo. It’s painless and random. It could be anything, maybe a four leaf clover or even Saturn. The design itself may not be too important but every detail mattered in terms of finding someone with the exact same one. 

There are only two people in the entire world who have the same tattoo. They are known as soulmates. 

Some spend years or even decades finding their soulmate but others have it easy and end up finding their soulmate in the grocery store or while on vacation. 

Mark Tuan was someone who hoped he would have it easy. On his 21st birthday he woke up with a rabbit’s paw on the inside of his left elbow. He had smiled when he saw it. Many of his fans compared him to a bunny anyways, so it wasn’t really out of character. He honestly couldn’t wait to show the world and laugh with them in the funny coincidence.

His other members smiled at him, Jackson even made him breakfast as a congratulatory gesture. He posted it on social media with a caption that read, “so whos my soulmate?” He added the eyes and rabbit emoji for comedic effect and watched the comments pour in from his fans all jokingly claiming to be his. 

The first few fanmeets afterwards made Mark laugh more than any of the ones before them. Fans painted similar looking tattoos on their arms, some joking and some with real intentions. Mark only smiled at them and asked them if they found their soulmate yet. It was cute and coy as most would say it was him and he would only reply, “Me?” in his most dramatic voice. 

The fan would laugh and continue down the line to the next member. Though, some were rather convincing and Mark even did a double take a few times, resulting in the fans’ widening eyes and hopeful smiles until Mark noticed a line out of place and laughed. 

He enjoyed those first few weeks with his new tattoo, but as the weeks went on and his tattoo became old news it reminded him of his previous worries. 

The problem with soulmates are that people are naturally lonely and most people want to love and be loved. This results in people dating and falling for others before they get their tattoo. It’s easy to love but it’s hard to face the ultimate consequence that someone is not their soulmate. 

Mark’s issue was that sometime in the beginning of the year, he fell in love. He denied it for a long time, saying that he was only fond of that person and that they were merely best friends so of course he would feel a pull towards them. 

But as the year continued, it became difficult to hide from his own feelings. One part of the issue was that the person he was in love with was a year younger than him, so he would have to live a whole year holding onto the hope that this person would magically happen to have the same tattoo.

Knowing what his own tattoo looked like was sort of a relief to Mark, at least he knew what to look for. But it only served as a looming reminder that if the person who stole his heart did not end up with the same one, he would have no hope to be loved back.

The other, more important part of the issue was that Mark fell for someone who did not take chances. They weren’t cavelier like Jackson, who had been dating his whole life despite the fear of falling for someone who he would eventually have to leave. Nor were they open like Bambam, whose face was an open book and spoke words as transparent as glass. 

So, Mark was in a slump. He was stuck watching his love live out their life right in front of him, watching but never disclosing his true feelings. 

As time passed, the sharp anxiety slowly transformed into a dull ache. 

The new year came and Jackson and Jaebum woke up with tattoos of their own. It was a happy day for Jaebum as he found a two-tailed siamese cat on the back of his right shoulder. He tried to convince everyone that it was Nora but as Yugyeom pointed out, this cat had one too many spots. The younger didn’t mind, he was just excited to have it. 

For Jackson however, it was a sad moment as he had been hoping to wake up to a tiger butterfly on his wrist but instead got a feather on his hip. 

That day, Mark found him sulking on the couch when everyone else went to their different schedules.

“Tough morning?” He asked, sitting down next to his bandmate. 

The younger sighed and rubbed his face with his hands, “God you have no idea.”

“I’m sorry,” Mark said with a sympathetic look, stirring the noodles in the instant ramen cup.

Jackson turned to look at him, “You know, you’re the first person today that’s said that. Everyone else didn’t even pretend to look surprised when I showed them the tattoo. If they didn’t say it to my face, their expression clearly said ‘I told you so.’”

Truth be told, Mark and the rest of their members never expected Jackson to have the butterfly tattoo. Jackson had only been dating the owner of the tattoo for a month prior but with his happy go lucky mentality, he of course thought they were going to be soulmates. It was sad to see the younger down, but everyone knew he would get over it in a matter of days. 

 

“Have you posted it anywhere?” Mark asked.

Jackson shook his head, “Not yet.”

“Are you going to?”

Their company allowed them a week to decide if they wanted to go public with the tattoo. Since it was a personal matter, they had the freedom to not share it. 

Mark was glad that they had that option, some other companies force their idols to expose their tattoos as a bait for media. As most fans weren’t over 21, companies could capitalize on merch of the tattoo and play up the idea that some lucky fan could end up with the real one. It almost never actually happened, but still. There was hope.

“Yeah, probably,” Jackson nodded, looking as if he decided right then and there. Mark envied him for being able to make decisions on a whim without much thought.

“Well, at least your reveal shoot will be hot as fuck,” The redhead laughed, pulling up some noodles and blowing on them before taking a hesitant bite.

If an idol chose to put their tattoo on display, they often did what was called a reveal photoshoot. It consisted of poses and shots that were focused on the tattoo and showing it off to the world. 

Some didn’t want to, they thought that their tattoo being printed in high resolution and showing every single detail was too much. Others couldn’t be more enthusiastic about it. Bambam had scheduled his two years in advanced, excited as his older members got theirs.

Jackson furrowed his eyebrows, “Why is that? I mean every photoshoot I do is hot as fuck but why this one specifically?”

Smiling at his friend’s overconfidence and natural ability to fish for compliments, Mark said, “It’s on your hip, Jacks. That means you get to be shirtless, maybe even some low-rise pants action.”

The brunette beamed and Mark smile turned into a grin, amused at how excited Jackson always got over showcasing his body. The younger had just been complaining that week over Got7’s lack of sexy concepts, saying that he worked hard for his body and the world deserved to see it. 

“I like the way you think, Tuan,” Jackson said. He was probably already imagining the poses he could request. 

The two sat in silence, Mark letting his friend’s imagination grow wild as he slurped up his noodles. Eventually, Jackson asked, “Hey, how come you never did one for yours?”

Mark’s eyes shifted to the side, not quite meeting Jackson’s. He had revealed his on social media but never more than that. The other members thought he was just busy with their comeback schedule but in truth, Mark didn’t want something out in the world to remind him of his internal dilemma.

“I was...worried,” He said cautiously. He hadn’t talked about his feelings on this matter before. “I was kind of in a similar position as you are now.”

“Mark Tuan, were you dating someone?” Jackson said with mock disapproval. “I thought you were saving yourself for your soulmate like Jinyoung is.”

He winced at the mention of his other group mate. “That’s the problem actually.”

“What is?”

The redhead took in a deep breath and said, “That Jinyoung won’t date anyone but his soulmate.”

Jackson looked at him confused, “I don’t get it, a lot of people are like that. Did you want to be the only one or something? Because I’m pretty sure Yugyeom is like that too.”

The younger’s oblivious comments made Mark smile, but it weaned as he looked down at the ramen in his hands. “No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?” Jackson asked, moving towards Mark on the couch as if sitting closer meant that he would be closer to the truth. If he wasn’t in that position, Mark might have laughed to himself because Jackson was the type of guy to actually believe something as silly as that.

“Jackson, I’m in love with Jinyoung,” As soon as the words left his lips, Mark felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He had kept it a secret for almost a year, it felt nice to finally tell someone.

When he didn’t hear anything in return, Mark lifted his head and turned to check how Jackson reacted. The brunette had the ghost of shock on his face, but it was slowly being replaced with something else. Jackson’s eyes were hazy as he looked off into the distance. He started nodding, slowly at first but then with more frequency.

“Well that makes a lot of sense,” Was all he said, his eyes coming back into focus. “That actually makes a shit ton of sense. Mark, why did you never tell me?”

Shrugging, Mark replied, “I didn’t think it mattered, especially since he’s not my soulmate.”

Jackson tilted his head to the side, “How do you know?”

Biting the inside of his cheek, Mark exhaled, “Because he’s just not. There’s no way that the universe would be that kind, I’m not that lucky.”

Jackson frowned and he spoke as if it was obvious, “Mark, you literally have a rabbit’s foot permanently tattooed on your arm. I’d say you’re pretty goddamn lucky.” 

Now Mark was confused, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“People carry around rabbit’s foot for good luck, I thought you knew that,” Jackson said, his voice making it seem like more of a question. Mark shook his head indicating that he hadn’t known and Jackson said, “Well, the point is that you don’t have to carry one around because one is always with you. Maybe it’s a sign! Maybe the universe is trying to say that he is your soulmate!”

Even though Mark had never really thought of himself as a superstitious guy, seeing Jackson all excited of the possibility instilled a little hope in Mark. He had thought he gave up on the useless gesture a while ago but perhaps not. He smiled back at Jackson and said, “Maybe.”

Jackson didn’t have time to jump into a long theory about how Jinyoung and Mark were somehow destined to be together because Mark was lucky or something because the man in question walked through the door with Jaebum and Youngjae trailing behind him. 

They were all carrying coffee in their hands, or in Youngjae’s case a deathwish made of sugar that was somehow called a frappuccino. Jinyoung met his eyes with a small smile, walking over with a paper bag in his hands. 

He plopped it in Mark’s lap and said, “It’s that muffin you like, I know they were out of it last time you went, so…”

Mark couldn’t help but return the smile and nod his head in thanks. He watched as Jinyoung left the room and then turned back to Jackson who was wearing a grin so bright it could compete with the sun. 

“What?” The redhead said, pretended to be irritated but in reality just trying to cover up the blush on his cheeks. 

“You’re so whipped for him, how did I not notice before?” 

Mark nudged him with his elbow as he unwrapped the muffin, “Shut up.”

“But he’s whipped for you too!”

Rolling his eyes, Mark broke a piece of the muffin top and said with a sigh, “He was just being nice, Jackson. He is my best friend, you know.”

Jackson’s smile dropped immediately and was replaced with a pout, “I thought I was your best friend.” 

“You’re both my best friend, Jacks.” And that was all it took for the brunette to be smiling again. It really never took much. 

“But I’m your best best friend, right?” Jackson probed, leaning into Mark’s side.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Mark said, “You really weren’t listening when I said I was in love with him, were you?”

Jackson crossed his arms, “Fine. But when you two end up together I’ll take my rightful place as your best best friend and he can have all those dumb labels like boyfriend and soulmate.”

It was ridiculous and far fetched but Mark agreed to humor Jackson, “Deal.”

 

As time went on, it felt good to have someone know his secret. Although it was annoying when Jackson would smile at him with knowing eyes everytime he caught Mark staring at Jinyoung or blushing when the younger complimented him, it was still nice knowing that he wasn’t alone in this journey. 

But as Jinyoung’s birthday neared, Mark got anxious again. And apparently he wasn’t the only one. A week before his birthday, Jinyoung came into Mark’s room.

“Are you busy?” He asked, glancing from Mark to the phone in the redhead’s hands. 

Mark shook his head and got up, sitting on his bed and motioned Jinyoung to follow suit. With Jinyoung sitting next to him, Mark felt his insides calm but his heart race. Having Jinyoung this close was a delicacy. While it happened fairly frequently, Mark treasured every second of it. 

He had expected that Jinyoung would just start talking like Jackson or Bambam would but he forgot, this was Jinyoung. The younger actually cared if he was intruding or being bothersome. He always put others before him and it was a quality that Mark admired handsomely.

“What’s up?” He asked. Jinyoung was playing with his fingers and it took all of Mark’s strength to not hold those hands in his as an attempt to calm him. He could tell something was going on, Jinyoung had been distant recently.

“I’m just worried,” The singer said. “My birthday is so close.”

Mark knew. He was acutely aware of just how close Jinyoung’s birthday was. Most of him was nervous but some of him was excited. He wanted to hope for the best but Mark was too cynical. He kept telling himself, and Jackson, that he just had to expect the worst. If he was already disappointed, he couldn’t get more upset. That was his thought process at least. Jackson told him he was being dumb.

“What are you worried about?” Mark asked. But he was too afraid of the answer so he tried to change it to a lighter subject. “Getting a tattoo you don’t like?”

Jinyoung smiled and met his gaze, “Well I wasn’t worried about that before but now I am.”

Smiling back, Mark said, “I didn’t expect mine at all but I ended up really liking it, if that helps.”

And then Jinyoung did something Mark hadn’t expected. He reached out and touched Mark’s tattoo. His fingers grazed lightly over the skin. 

“It doesn’t feel different from a normal tattoo,” Jinyoung noticed. Mark’s heart was in his throat. 

The touch was so domestic, it almost pained Mark to watch it happen. To pretend as if he didn’t want to lean in ever so closely and kiss the beautiful raven haired man before him. If Jackson was there, he would probably be laughing his ass off at how tense Mark’s looked. 

As an idol, Mark was supposed to be able to control and handle his emotions at any given moment and in any situation. But it just wasn’t happening. 

Jinyoung must have noticed as his fingers stopped and he glanced up to see a very disgruntled looking Mark. He swiftly pulled his hand away and leaned back, putting distance between them. It was the last thing the redhead wanted but he had done it to himself. If he would have just said something or smiled at least…

“I’m sorry,” Jinyoung said and Mark wanted to say that he shouldn’t be, that he did absolutely nothing wrong. That Mark was just dumb and madly in love with him and for some reason Jinyoung’s ethereal presence made him nervous like no other. 

“No, don’t apologize,” Mark assured. But it didn’t feel like enough and he didn’t want Jinyoung to leave so he continued, “I just wasn’t expecting that. And yeah, you’re right. They feel the exact same.”

The small smile Jinyoung gave him let Mark breathe again. “I guess I’m just worried about my soulmate.”

Mark felt himself tense up again. He thought he already dodged this. “Yeah? I’m sure you’ll find them.”

In his head, that seemed like an appropriate way to acknowledge Jinyoung’s concerns without really diving into it. He thought it be a fine segway into a new conversation. Jinyoung on the other hand, had different plans. He looked right into Mark’s eyes and for once, they were as clear as day.

The redhead could see all the worry and anxiousness in them as the younger said, “But what if I’ve already found them?”

It took Mark by surprise, too much so that Mark blurted out, “I think about that a lot too.”

There was a long pause as Jinyoung just stared at him. His face started to look more confused, but then the composed expression that Mark was so used to seeing took over. Mark wondered what Jinyoung was hiding from him. 

“I guess it’s impossible to know, like maybe I’ve run into them at a store or something and didn’t know it?” Jinyoung said. He looked away and started staring at the lines of Mark’s wall. 

Somehow Mark felt disappointed. As if he really thought that Jinyoung had been on the same page as him. Of course not, why would he be so lucky? 

To cover up his discomfort, Mark just said, “Yeah, that would be crazy.”

Jinyoung looked over at him and frowned. Mark wanted to question it but Jinyoung had already gotten up, “Anyways, I should probably go find Yugyeom. He’s been bugging me all day to help him choreograph.”

He watched the love of his life walk out of his room and belatedly said, “Alright, bye.”

 

Mark woke up too early on Jinyoung’s birthday. He checked the time on his phone and groaned. He turned back to face the ceiling and sighed. Although he had just opened his eyes, he felt as if he had been awake for hours. 

As he glanced back at his phone, Mark tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth. He tried to decide if he should just roll over again and hope that enough time with his eyes being closed could get him to fall asleep. In the end, he wound up grabbing his phone.

A little browse through social media wouldn’t hurt too much.

The redhead scrolled through his feed, finding nothing special since the last time he checked only a few hours prior. Instead of just giving up, he fell victim to his guilty pleasure: looking through Jinyoung’s tag. 

After a few posts, he found Jinyoung’s birthday hashtag and smiled. He loved that the fans called Jinyoung a prince. And Mark may or may not have fantasized once or twice about waking up in a different reality and Jinyoung being his knight in shining armour. The guy was regal, it wasn’t Mark’s fault. Anyone who saw him would say Jinyoung was basically a 21st century prince. 

He smiled at all of the fan edits of Jinyoung and their drawings of him. Their sweet words warmed even his heart. Mark would be lying if he had said he didn’t save a few of his favorite photos that fans posted of Jinyoung. He got to live across from the real thing and interact with him everyday, yet he still found his heart fluttering at these simple pictures. 

Time sped up and all of a sudden it was morning, or at least a time that was appropriate to get up at. Mark could hear the others rustling around in their rooms and decided to get up himself. As he slid on a shirt, his hands started to shake. 

Today was the day he would find out if Jinyoung was his soulmate. 

He clenched his hands into a fist to try to get them to stop moving but they wouldn’t listen to him. He exhaled and looked for pants but became very aware of how fast his heart was beating. The anxiety was overwhelming. So much of his thoughts were consumed with telling himself that there was no way Jinyoung was his soulmate and that today was just going to be like any other day.

Out of the billions of people on the planet, there certainly could be no way that a guy he just happened to coexist with was his soulmate. But then the other part of his thoughts kept tugging at his insides, saying that he had a chance. It was slim, no one doubted that, but it was there.

It was practically unheard of for idols to find their soulmate in their own company, nonetheless their own group. Mark could only remember it happening once, but then again he wouldn’t call himself an encyclopedia on the history of kpop so he wasn’t sure how many times that actually happened. 

Once he had everything on, Mark couldn’t find another reason to stall so he reluctantly pulled open his door and walked out. Yugyeom and Bambam were already there mixing up some concoction that Mark assumed was their breakfast. For him however, he enjoyed a simple bowl of cereal. 

As he reached around for the materials he needed, Jackson came out of his room. His eyes found Mark’s and the redhead could feel the excitement oozing off of him as the brunette got closer. 

“So,” He said, dragging out the word. “How’re we feeling?”

Mark tipped the cereal box so that just enough of it sugary contents would fill his bowl. He didn’t bother looking at his best friend. “Fine.”

“Just fine? Because your hands are shaking,” Jackson pointed out.

The redhead frowned as he put the cereal back and turned to Jackson, “It started this morning, I can’t get them to stop.”

“Anxious?” The brunette supplied.

Mark huffed and leaned against the counter, taking his first bite. “You can say that again.”

“Hey, what are you guys whispering about? If you planned something for Jinyoung and didn’t tell us about it I’m going to be sad,” Yugyeom complained, looking between the two rappers.

Jackson only laughed, “Why? Because you know Jinyoung would skin you alive if you didn’t do something for his birthday?”

“Last year I got him this nice sweater and you had to go and one up me and take him on this whole spa day! It wasn’t my fault! The sweater was even stripped! I can’t win!” Yugyeom rationed, throwing his hands up in the air.

But Jackson just grinned proudly, “Well, I am his best friend, you know.”

The yellow-haired maknae rolled his eyes, “No you’re not. He’s way closer with Mark.”

Mark felt his cheeks burn and paid no mind to Jackson and Yugyeom now bickering about the variances of closeness and how Jackson would be number one on Jinyoung’s list if Mark wasn’t so goddamn in love with him.

Wait. Did Mark just hear that right?

He turned to look at Jackson to see if he did but judging by the wide, apologetic eyes and the hands that Jackson had over his mouth clearly said that he definitely just said that for real. 

“I’m sorry! It just slipped out!”

But the redhead wasn’t even upset. He only sighed, “It’s fine. It’s not like it’ll matter after today. I’m not his soulmate.”

And just like clockwork, Jackson repeated the same thing he had been telling Mark over the past year, “Oh come on, Mark! Anything can happen! Just have a little hope.”

“Wait am I hearing this right?” Bambam asked, turning to look from the stove. “You’re in love with him?”

“Mark’s in love with who?” Jaebum said as he walked into the kitchen.

The redhead in question felt a blush tint his cheeks. He was fine with the maknaes knowing but Jaebum was too close with Jinyoung. He didn’t want it slipping out like it just had. “Oh, it was a joke that Bambam heard wrong.” 

He gave the younger a hard stare to keep quiet and Jaebum just shrugged, “I swear that kid has sawdust in his ears.”

Bambam yelled, “Hey!” and Jaebum grinned. It was only too easy to pick on the younger. 

“Is Jinyoung up yet? I wanted to see his tattoo,” Jaebum yawned. “It’s probably going to be some simple design that fits him perfectly.”

Mark nodded at that. It probably was. He could see Jinyoung with just a few lines creating a wave or something equally as simple. Flashiness didn’t suit Jinyoung. He was a man of plain taste. The guy never even wore jewelry, so this tattoo was probably nerve wracking for him. Maybe that was why Jinyoung said he was nervous. Mark realized they Jinyoung never really answered him about that. 

But no one had to respond because the man of the hour was finding his way into the kitchen. All eyes were on him as he moved between Jaebum and Yugyeom to get a cup. He was just as covered up as always, not an inch of skin showing. Well, at least he doesn’t have a face tattoo, Mark caught himself thinking. 

“Where is it?” Bambam asked, breaking the silence. 

Jinyoung shrugged and filled his glass up with water.

“Are you not going to show us?” Jackson pried. 

At first Mark thought it was Jinyoung just being sleepy and lazy, it was his birthday after all, but then Jinyoung mumbled, “No.”

“Oh,” Jaebum said and it seemed like he wasn’t the only one who was surprised. “So no reveal shoot?”

“Nope.”

Mark shouldn’t have expected anything else. Jinyoung was so private about his personal life, if the redhead hadn’t spent years of his life alongside him, he probably wouldn’t know anything more than the fans did. 

Of course Jinyoung didn’t want to show anyone. Mark could count on his fingers the amount of times he had seen the singer nearly naked. It would take about ten thousand more fingers to count the amount of times Mark had seen Jackson fully naked. He almost laughed at the thought. But then it struck him.

If Jinyoung wasn’t showing him his tattoo, then that meant it wasn’t of significance. It meant Jinyoung wasn’t his soulmate. Mark looked down at his almost empty cereal and closed his eyes. He felt disappointment crash over him like a wave. It only showed how much he had truly hoped that Jinyoung could be something more than his best friend. How stupid was he to buy into Jackson’s useless words?

He couldn’t sit there any longer, so the redhead got up and walked to his room. He stood in front of his window and rubbed at his eyes. Not longer after, he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him and a soft cheek against the back of his neck. 

“I’m sorry,” He heard Jackson say. 

“We’re not soulmates,” Mark said for what seemed like the hundredth time. But this time it wasn’t some throw away comment. It was real. He was not Jinyoung’s soulmate. 

“Maybe you could still be but--”

“No, Jackson,” Mark said with a little too much bite. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to hear it. I can’t deal with your far fetched theories right now.”

He felt the brunette stiffen and quietly say, “I was only trying to help.”

“I know.”

Jackson nuzzled his face into Mark’s exposed skin and whispered, “You’ll get through this, I promise.”

It was nice to have such unconditional support, but Mark only felt hopeless. “How?”

The brunette shrugged, “I don’t know, but you will.”

Mark nodded solemnly and turned to face his best friend. 

“But what I do know is that we’re going out today because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over my 21 years of life it’s that food and spending money on things you don’t need can fix anything.”

Smiling for the first time since Mark had left his room that morning, Mark said, “I feel like that’s terrible advice, but if it distracts me from this I’ll do anything.”

“That’s the spirit!” Jackson grinned and took his hand, leading him out of his room. “And don’t worry about bringing your wallet, today is my treat.”

“Thanks Jacks,” Mark said as the younger pulled him towards their front door.

“Anytime, Markiepoo.”

 

What the two rappers didn’t know was that Jinyoung had heard everything. Or, not everything but he did walk by Mark’s room to see Jackson backhugging Mark and whispering to him. Jinyoung could have sworn he even saw Jackson kissing the back of the other rapper’s neck. 

He felt his heart sink to the floor. 

But maybe he was just seeing things. Maybe that was just Jackson being Jackson. Jinyoung went to his room but left the door open. He knew it was a mistake the second he saw the two’s linked hands and Jackson yelling about buying Mark something. 

If it wasn’t Jackson then Jinyoung wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But it was, which meant it was special. The brunette rapper wasn’t exactly one to be generous with his money. Usually he whined and complained when others “forget their wallets” but there he was offering to pay.

And if that wasn’t enough, the petnames made Jinyoung’s skin boil. He felt too hot to be wearing so much, so he took off his long-sleeve and left himself with just a shirt on. 

His eyes slowly dragged themselves to the place Jinyoung wanted to look least: a patch of newly inked skin on the inside of his right elbow. 

He scowled at the now foul tattoo and whispered to himself, “I guess you really aren’t a good luck charm.”


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright here you go~ enjoy!!

On the day of his 21st birthday, Jinyoung couldn’t wait to get up. It was a day that he had been looking forward to for a while now, but not just out of pure curiosity. He had another motive. Jinyoung had been wondering about his tattoo for years, but in the last year he had been hoping his tattoo would be something in particular.

A rabbit’s paw that exactly mirrored Mark Tuan’s of Got7.

It was a simple request that many people around the world also hoped for. But he wished and wished that he would be the one lucky enough to actually get it. He had been hiding his feelings for his bandmate for years, it was only fair that he could be granted this one simple wish.

Or at least that was what he told himself. Jinyoung was well aware that his fellow member had no interest in him past being friends, but his ultimate fantasy was that they would end up with the same tattoo and Mark would be willing to go for it. And then they would kiss and fall madly in love and everyone would be happy for them. In an ideal world, maybe that would happen. 

But it wasn’t what happened in his world. 

When he woke up, Jinyoung immediately checked his left arm. But he saw nothing. His heart dropped and he flipped over and pushed his face into his pillow. He gripped the sheet with his right hand in a lapse of rational thinking and dug his nails into the fabric. His fist was a little too tight and as a reaction of the flash of pain, he pulled away and gripped his hand to look at it.

His fingers looked alright and he sighed to himself. Just as he was about to go back to wallowing in self pity, he noticed something.

A rabbit’s paw on the inside of his right elbow. 

Of course, how could he be that stupid? Soulmate tattoos were always mirrors of the other. It was done so that when the soulmates stand next to each other, so can their tattoos. 

Jinyoung grinned from ear to ear. He might have even let out a little squeal. 

He was Mark’s soulmate. He was Mark Tuan’s soulmate. He was Mark Yien Tuan’s soulmate. 

He was--

And then Jinyoung’s brain kicked in. Okay, Jinyoung let’s think about this rationally, he thought to himself. He had to make sure it was really Mark’s tattoo. He could just also have an eerily alike tattoo with his bandmate. The universe could be playing tricks on him.

Jinyoung picked up his phone off his night stand and started scrolling through his pictures. He had saved a few photos of Mark’s tattoo for this exact moment months ago. He found them and zoomed in, tracing every single line and corresponding them with his own skin. 

They matched. 

The singer let out a huge breathe that he hadn’t realized he had been holding in and smiled again. He laid back in his bed and held his arm over his face, admiring his skin and saying prayers of thankfulness to no one in particular. 

But then the thoughts started to trickle in and the more logical side of Jinyoung appeared.

He couldn’t tell Mark.

Not now, not right before their comeback. Mark wasn’t interested in him. Finding out this life changing news probably wouldn’t be welcome and especially not then. It would just ruin the group’s dynamic. 

Jinyoung turned to his side and hugged his arm to his chest. He couldn’t tell Mark. It would only be selfish of him to do so and if Park Jinyoung was anything, he wasn’t selfish. 

Maybe after the comeback, he thought but immediately disregarded it. They were at the height of their career, something like this could put them in a bad place. And his members didn’t train for years to have a silly thing like a tattoo ruin their chances at achieving their dream.

He sat there in his bed for a hour until he heard the others talking in the kitchen. Jinyoung decided he should probably come out. It was his birthday anyways, they were all expecting him.

With a small huff, Jinyoung got out of bed and put on clothes. He almost didn’t put on a long-sleeve over his shirt but he knew that hiding that perfect, most beautiful tattoo was what was best for everyone.

He walked out and saw everyone turn to look at him. He avoided their gaze and faked a yawn. Maybe he could blame his quietness on not getting enough sleep. 

Bambam asked him what is was and Jinyoung bit his tongue. He couldn’t answer that so he shrugged, hoping that would be enough for everyone. But no, his members cared too much about him. They wanted to know.

Jackson went next in asking if Jinyoung was going to show them. It pained Jinyoung to tell them no. They had showed him years of support and there he was shutting them all out. But it was for the best. He kept telling himself that like a mantra. 

Jaebum even asked and Jinyoung had to hide all emotions in his voice. If he messed up, they would know something was up. 

He finally allowed himself a glance in Mark’s direction but the silent redhead wasn’t looking at him. In fact he wasn’t looking at anyone. He was looking into his bowl, or maybe he had been because Jinyoung saw his eyes close.

Mark must have been tired, he tried to justify. But Jinyoung couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He thought maybe Mark would be looking at him with hopeful eyes. 

Jinyoung chanced another look but Mark was already leaving the room, his bowl left on the counter. 

The other members shuffled around, understanding that the conversation was over. The maknae’s went back to the stove and whispered to each other while Jaebum and now Youngjae sat on the couch, flipping through the channels on tv. Jackson, on the other hand, went to the hallway.

Jinyoung felt empty. He decided that he would just eat later and went back to his own room.

He passed by Mark’s in hopes to steal a look at the older, but what he saw was that Jackson wasn’t in his room like Jinyoung had thought. No, instead he had his arms around Jinyoung’s soulmate as if he had some sort of right to be touching Mark like that.

The singer felt the flames burn his insides and shook his head. No, he had no right to be mad. It was just Jackson being Jackson. It wasn’t like either of them knew that Mark’s soulmate was watching from just a few feet away. They didn’t even know Jinyoung was his soulmate.

And for that, Jinyoung had no one to blame but himself. 

He tried to reason with himself as he entered his room but after hearing Jackson and Mark talking and holding hands as if they had some sort of claim to one another, Jinyoung felt his heart rip into pieces.

How could he tell Mark now that he knew that his soulmate’s heart belonged to another’s?

It wouldn’t have been fair to his members before but now with this new information, Jinyoung couldn’t bring himself to be unfair to Mark. The two rappers didn’t know they were doing anything wrong.

Many people cheat on their soulmates. Jinyoung shook his head. He knew he was being too harsh with that wording. It wasn’t considered cheating to many as they just wanted to be loved. Jinyoung couldn’t fault them there. That was what he wanted to. He had just hoped that Mark would be loving him, not some other guy. 

He didn’t leave his room for the rest of the morning.

Around lunch time, Yugyeom managed to peel him from his bed. Luckily, Jinyoung had put his long-sleeve back on, too upset to see his tattoo for any longer than he had to. Him and the remaining members in the dorm went to grab lunch together. 

Everyone ate and laughed, enjoying the other’s company. Jinyoung tried his best to act like he was fine. If his mask fell, people would be suspicious and start to ask questions. That was the last thing Jinyoung needed. So he thanked himself for pursuing acting and pretended like he enjoyed himself and didn’t spend the whole time thinking about where Mark and Jackson were cuddled up.

The next few days were the same as usual. Vocal lessons, dance practice, and photoshoots galore. Luckily, their stylists and managers didn’t question him being stingy about losing any clothing. He had always been like that, at least now he had a reason. 

Instead of sitting next to Mark or going out of his way to talk to the redhead like he usually did, Jinyoung used the busy schedule to his advantage. But what upset him the most was that Mark didn’t make any sort of move to talk to Jinyoung either. In fact, he always seemed to be sitting close to Jackson. The two were always whispering to each other and their skinship so blatant that Jinyoung kicked himself for not noticing their relationship before.

Everytime he changed or showered, Jinyoung would look away. He would put is focus on anything but the sad design on his right arm. He couldn’t bare to look at it after he found out about Mark and Jackson. It was only a reminder of what could have been.

After one of his showers, Jinyoung had reluctantly dried himself off and headed to his room to put clothes on. He managed the covering the bottom half half of his body before he realized he wasn’t alone.

He only showered when no one else was in the dorm or when everyone was asleep. He couldn’t risk anyone walking in and seeing his misfortune. 

But today he had apparently miscalculated as Jackson was standing in his dorm frame, mouth ajar. Jinyoung expected their eyes to meet but realized that Jackson was otherwise occupied. His eyes were glued to Jinyoung’s right arm.

The singer tried to move his arm back, to turn it so that the tattoo couldn’t be seen but the damage had been done.

“You’re Mark’s soulmate,” Jackson breathed, looking as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Jinyoung sighed and closed his eyes. Of all people, the boyfriend of his soulmate really wasn’t the first person he wanted to see his tattoo.

“You’re Mark’s soulmate,” Jackson repeated when he got no response. This time his eyes trailed up to meet Jinyoung’s.

“I know,” And this time Jinyoung’s voice matched how empty he felt. He didn’t even have to pretend.

“Why haven’t you told him?” The brunette questioned in shock.

This took Jinyoung aback. Why would Jackson of all people ask that? Shouldn’t he be asking Jinyoung to keep it a secret?

“Why do you care?” Jinyoung said, barely believing that he of all people said such a rude thing so easily. He really needed to check himself. He couldn’t let this heartbreak get the best of him. Jackson was his friend, one of his closest and just because he happened to be dating Jinyoung’s soulmate did not give Jinyoung the right to interact with him so carelessly.

Jackson seemed to agree. 

“Why do I care? Jinyoung are you serious?” He sputtered with wide, disbelieving eyes. “I’m Mark’s best friend!”

The younger just shook his head, “Best friend? Is that all you are?”

The accusatory tone in his voice surprised him. He kept his eyes down.

Across from him, Jackson crossed his arms and said, “Well, I’m currently petitioning for the title of best best friend but apparently you own it. Mark was very firm about that seeing as he’s--”

The brunette slapped his hands over his mouth and whispered something that sounded like, “No, I’m not doing that again.”

“Not doing what again?” Jinyoung questioned.

“Not telling you that Mark-- Nope, nope nope. Can’t say that,” Jackson confirmed. His tongue poked out of his lips as he tried to look at anything but Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung crossed his arms and stared at Jackson until the older would finally look at him. “Jackson, just tell me.”

The brunette looked physically pained as he stared back. Jinyoung could basically see him weighing his options in his head.

“Okay fine, but only because you’re Mark’s soulmate and he deserves to know that,” Jackson reasoned. Jinyoung wasn’t sure how that was relevant at the moment. 

The older took a deep breath and said, “Markisinlovewithyou.”

It all came out as one big exhale, Jinyoung only caught Mark’s name. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Don’t make me say it again, Jinyoung. I’m breaking best friend rules right now and as you know, I’m really trying for that number one best friend spot,” Jackson pleaded.

But Jinyoung wasn’t backing down. 

“Jackson.”

The brunette rubbed at his temple and said, “Okay, one more time. But please listen carefully because in this case I don’t think third time's the charm. I really don’t think Mark would be happy if he knew I was telling you this.”

Jinyoung stood there with his arms crossed, not phased with Jackson’s usual nonsense. In any other situation, Jinyoung might have commended his loyalty but not now. “Go on.”

“Mark is…,” Jackson paused. “Well, he’s in love with you.”

Jinyoung sucked in a breath. Mark was in love with him? No, that can’t be.

“He’s been hoping all year that you were his soulmate and when you didn’t show anyone your tattoo... well, he thought that it meant you weren’t soulmates. But you clearly are Jinyoung. Why would you hurt him like that?”

The singer didn’t miss the sharp edge of Jackson’s question. He had hurt Mark, their mutual best friend. “You knew that he loves me?”

Jackson frowned, unhappy that Jinyoung dodged the question. “He told me on my birthday, said that he knew how it felt to wish someone was your soulmate. When I asked more questions, he told me it was because of you. He didn’t want to confess to you because we all know you have a strict no soulmate cheating policy.”

Taking Jackson’s words in, Jinyoung couldn’t help but ask, “Does anyone else know?”

“No,” The rapper shook his head and then froze. “Well, I guess I let it slip to Yugyeom and Bambam on your birthday but I’m the only one who knows the full story. I’ve been trying to comfort him the best I can, but he’s really hurt Jinyoung.”

Comfort.

Jinyoung groaned. It was comfort that he was seeing between Mark and Jackson. The brunette had been trying to help Mark because he was a good friend, not because he was Mark’s boyfriend. Mark hadn’t been talking to him because he didn’t need Jinyoung anymore, he was avoiding him because his heart was hurting. “I’m so fucking stupid.”

Jackson raised his eyebrows, “Wow, I mean yeah but also, wow. Park Jinyoung swearing, that’s kind of new.” 

Ignoring Jackson’s comment, Jinyoung asked, “Do you know where Mark is?”

“He’s at that cafe across the street. I told him I would go with him but he just wanted to be alone,” Jackson explained with a frown. Jinyoung could hear the sympathy and sadness in his voice. The world didn’t deserve such a good person who truly cared about their friends like Jackson did.

Jinyoung faced his dresser and started rummaging through his shirts. He found a short-sleeve and threw it on, grabbing his wallet as he walked out of his room. Jackson followed him, “Hey wait, where are you going?”

“To find Mark,” Jinyoung answered simply, putting his shoes on.

The rapper looked like he was grasping at straws, “But you’re not covering up your arms, everyone will see your tattoo.”

Smiling, Jinyoung said, “That’s the point.” 

He saw a grin spread across Jackson’s face and left the dorm.

 

When Jackson said that everyone would see his tattoo, Jinyoung had forgotten about the amount of fans that sit outside their dorm in hopes to see the members. And he definitely forgot about how these fans have cameras and phones that they would use to take photos of him and then share with the rest of the world.

Jinyoung wondered why the internet had to be so cruel.

His intentions were that Mark, his soulmate, would see the tattoo. Not so that every fan who had internet access would. But there was, showing off his bare arms. Just that alone would cause a stir, but the new tattoo on top of that would start a frenzy. And then once the fans put two and two together, Jinyoung would be fucked.

However, it seemed as if that was already happening. Among the hushed whispers as Jinyoung walked across the street he heard the words “tattoo” “arms” and unfortunately, “soulmate”. Without a doubt he started hearing Mark’s name in the mix as well. 

No matter, he told himself. He would have had to expose himself sooner or later. 

He saw Mark through the window of the cafe and took a breath before his opened the door. He had nothing to lose at this point. He already let his tattoo be photographed, it wouldn’t take long for it to get back to Mark even if he turned back now. 

Jinyoung walked towards Mark’s table, feeling his heart beating out of his chest. But the older wasn’t even looking at him. He was scrolling through something on his phone. Jinyoung panicked for a second, he knew their fans were fast but what if Mark had somehow already found out? No, that was silly. He couldn’t have, Jinyoung assured himself.

To his benefit, Mark looked up. Jinyoung saw the small smile that grew on his face but it quickly vanished, as if Mark had reminded himself that he couldn’t be happy to see Jinyoung. But then Mark’s eyes traveled down, “You’re wearing a short-sleeve shirt--”

His eyes went so wide as they fixated at the spot on Jinyoung’s arm where the tattoo was that Jinyoung almost worried they were going to pop out of their sockets. 

“T-That’s-- Jinyoung, we’re -- Oh my god,” Was the string of babble that came out of Mark’s mouth. 

“We’re soulmates,” Jinyoung finished for him. He couldn’t help the way that his mouth stretched into a grin. He couldn’t believe he was saying it, to Mark of all people.

Mark got up and crossed the table, holding Jinyoung’s arm with both of his hands, touching the colored skin. “It’s an exact match.”

“I know,” Jinyoung beamed proudly. It felt good to have Mark so close after avoiding him for almost a week. 

But Jinyoung’s smile wasn’t mirrored. Mark frowned and backed away. His voice was harsh, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The singer’s heart sank and his grin was wiped from his face. “I thought it wasn’t a good time.”

He couldn’t think of anything else to say, or even where to start. He hoped Mark would understand but he didn’t.

“Wasn’t a good time? Jinyoung I’ve been waiting for this for so long and you kept this from me?” Mark shot back. His words were cold but his eyes were pleading. He was lashing out because he was hurt.

“I… Mark, I thought you didn’t like me like that and I thought it wouldn’t be good for the group if I told you and everything got awkward between us,” Jinyoung struggled to explain. “And then I saw you with Jackson and somehow thought that the two of you were together and I didn’t want to take away your happiness.”

“That’s stupid,” Came Mark’s blunt reply.

Jinyoung looked away, “I know. That’s what I said too. I think Jackson agreed.”

The mention of Jackson in that way had Mark’s eyebrows furrowing. “You talked to Jackson?”

The singer winced, he had hoped that he could keep Jackson out of this. Knowing how adamant Jackson was about not telling Jinyoung the truth, Jinyoung felt bad for telling Mark about it. But at this point he couldn’t avoid it. “He very reluctantly told me how you felt about me and I basically realized how dumb I was and ran out of the dorm to come tell you the truth.”

Mark’s eyes narrowed, “And what exactly is the truth?”

Jinyoung tried to calm his beating heart in hopes that his voice wouldn’t shake, “That I’ve been hoping for years that we were soulmates.”

“You have?”

Nodding, Jinyoung said, “I don’t know when I fell for you but, I did. I hated it at first. I only ever wanted my heart to belong to my soulmate. I thought those who willingly give their hearts to others were reckless and selfish. But falling for you made it so that I was just like everyone else. A fool for love. A fool for you, Mark.”

“You hated that you loved me?” There was a hint of hurt tinged in Mark’s voice and Jinyoung’s heart throbbed. He hadn’t meant it like that.

“I hated it because I subscribed to the thought that any love not towards a soulmate was lesser, that it wasn’t real. Which meant what I so strongly felt for you could only be fake. That it was just the universe playing tricks on me. But when those feelings never went away, that they only grew and grew I started thinking that there was no way you weren’t my soulmate. How could one person feel this strongly for another and have it be fake love?”

Mark didn’t respond, instead he only waited for Jinyoung to continue. But Jinyoung knew he saw a smile tugging at the edge of his soulmate’s lips and grinned.

“So when I got this tattoo, I knew it was fate,” Jinyoung said, his voice serious but warm at the same time. “I realize now that I shouldn’t have kept that from you and I truly am sorry for doing so. I hope you can forgive me.”

A moment or two passed and Jinyoung started to get worried. Did he really mess up that badly that Mark wasn’t willing to make amends?

The redhead stepped forward and asked simply, “Does this mean we can kiss now? Because I’ve been wanting to do that for a really long time.”

Jinyoung blinked. That wasn’t exactly the response he had been expecting. “Do you forgive me?”

Mark nodded, “Yes, you were dumb but now you’re not. Kiss me.”

And Jinyoung didn’t need to be asked twice, he cupped his soulmate’s jaw and closed the gap between the two, connecting their lips together. Mark’s lips were soft and pillowy, but rough around the edges like the older had been biting them recently. Jinyoung felt bad because he knew he had caused that and licked at Mark’s bottom lip in attempt to soothe the aggitated skin. 

Kissing Mark felt unreal. Like everything around them ceased to exist, like time stopped and they were the only two left in the universe. He felt Mark wrap his arms around Jinyoung’s neck and sighed happily into his soulmate’s lips. 

This wasn’t exactly how he imagined his road to finding his soulmate going, there were a bit more misunderstandings than he had wished for but this was close enough. Mark was here and he shared Jinyoung’s feelings. Or at least Jinyoung thought so. He realized that the redhead hadn’t actually disclosed that yet.

Jinyoung broke the kiss and said, “You do love me, right? Jackson wasn’t just lying to get me to talk to you?”

With his arms still around Jinyoung’s neck, Mark grinned at him, “No, that’s true. I do love you.”

If the kiss wasn’t enough as it was, hearing Mark say those words to him was music to his ears. Jinyoung had never felt happier than he was in that moment. “I love you too.”

The singer looked into his soulmate’s eyes and smiled. He could easily see the love and affection that Mark harbored for him. It might have been upsetting to him that he couldn’t see it before, but now wasn’t the time to focus on lost time. He had the rest of his life to think about that but only right then to enjoy the moment that was happening. 

 

The rest of his life. Jinyoung paused at that phrase. This meant that Mark was his, right?

“So does this mean we’re boyfriends or?” Jinyoung asked, confused on how this all worked.

Mark grinned and then tightened his arms around the singer. His eyes flashed and his grin turned to a mischievous smirk, “I don’t know you haven’t ask me yet.”

“Oh is that what you’re waiting for?” Jinyoung raised his eyebrow and Mark nodded cutely.

If he didn’t have an armful of Mark he would be clutching his chest at how cute his soulmate was being. He took back everything he said before. He was lucky. He was really, really lucky. The universe didn’t play some sick joke on him. It taught him a lesson. Good things come to those who wait. And at that moment, with Mark Tuan staring patiently into his eyes, Park Jinyoung had the best thing he could have asked for. 

“Fine,” Jinyoung laughed. “Mark, will you be my boyfriend?”

The redhead’s smile grew and crashed his lips into Jinyoung’s. While the singer could have probably guessed from the kiss, he had to be sure, “Is that a yes?”

“Yes, a million times yes.”

But then another voice ruined the moment, “Sir?”

They both looked over to one of the staff members at the cafe who had walked over. “I don’t mean to bother, but are you aware that you have an audience?”

Jinyoung had completely forgotten about the fans outside. He turned to see the window completely filled with fans and their cameras, probably recording the whole thing. The singer felt his ears go red and saw a dusting of pink on his boyfriend’s cheeks as well and started laughing. 

The staff member stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. 

“I’m sorry, we just found out that we were soulmates,” Mark explained.

Her face brightened and she said, “Oh! That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”

“And apparently our fans figured that out too,” Jinyoung said. “I apologize for the intrusion.”

She waved her hands, “No, no! It’s completely fine! I understand!”

Jinyoung appreciated her gesture but all the cameras and faces were probably uncomfortable to the other people in the cafe so he turned back to Mark, “We should probably go.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Mark nodded and Jinyoung watched as he went back to his abandoned chair and picked up his things. 

The singer held out his hand for Mark to take and saw for the first time their two tattoos together as his boyfriend took his hand in his. He couldn’t believe this was real life and not some fantasy Jinyoung had created in his head. But there they were, the two matching rabbit’s paws side by side. 

Mark looked down as well and then back up at Jinyoung and said, “Please never cover up your tattoo ever again. I want to see it like this every day.”

Jinyoung said, “Okay, I promise,” and kissed Mark’s cheek. It was going to be hard to get used to, exposing his arms like that. But he would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to see this sight all the time as well. Mark squeezed his hand as they walked out the door and into the chaos that was outside.

Their fans were like penguins, standing there with their cameras and phones covering their faces. Jinyoung noted that there were many more fans there than before when had first stepped out of the dorm. News must have spread.

His phone vibrated in his pocket as they walked and Jinyoung took it out to see who was calling.

“It’s Jaebum,” He told Mark who nodded in understanding and the younger answered it.

“Hey--”

He didn’t even get a chance to complete a greeting before Jaebum asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you and Mark were soulmates?”

His leader’s tone was demanding and Jinyoung felt bad. Mark held the door open for him as they walked back inside their building. “Uh, it slipped my mind?”

Jaebum sighed over the phone and said, “When I get home you have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Will do,” Jinyoung replied as the call abruptly ended. He put the phone back into his pocket and stepped into the elevator with Mark.

“Was he upset?” Mark asked, rubbing Jinyoung’s hand with his thumb.

Jinyoung said yes and the redhead nodded. The singer looked at him curiously, “Don’t you want to know what he said?”

But Mark shook his head and said, “No, I’d rather kiss you and worry about that later.”

And so he did. The rapper lifted himself up on his tippy toes and leaned in. The elevator opened a few seconds later and Mark pulled away, but not before giving Jinyoung’s lips another chaste kiss and smiling. Mark walked out and towards their front door and Jinyoung followed happily. 

Watching Mark smile so widely had Jinyoung’s heart doing flips. He still couldn’t believe he would get to see this for the rest of his life, but he figured he could get used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my first multichaptered fic that I've actually completed omg I'm so happy :)
> 
> let me know what you thought!!
> 
> oh and my twitter is @peachjinyounq if you wanna talk to me over there ♡♡


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